MOTHER 3: A Novel
by Ariru-hime
Summary: Yes, that's right, the tale of Mama 3 in written form. Join Lucas and his friends as they go on a strange, funny, and heart-rending adventure. Rated T for future chapter violence and possibly some language. Ch. 4 says hello!
1. Chapter 1: Prolouge

**MOTHER3: A Novel**

**CHAPTER1: Prolouge**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own MOTHER 3 or any of the story herein. All copyrights go to Shigesato Itoi/HAL/APE/Nintendo/Whoever owns this awesome-ass game.  
SUMMARY: Yes, that's right, the tale of M3 in written form. Join Lucas and his friends as they go on a strange, funny, and heart-rending adventure. Rated T for future chapter violence (possibly) and some language.  
RATING: T for possible future violence and some mild language.  
PAIRINGS: None at the moment.  
WARNINGS: Watch out for the man-eating walrus behind you. A hurr hurr. Language and violence (none as of yet). Nothing too bad.**

**Oh, and just so you know, this story is meant to be just a novel version of Mother 3. Truth be told, this is just to help me better my writing skills, nothing more. You see, I'm not creative enough to come up with my own plot and whatnot (at least not at the moment.) But nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this anyway, and I hope it does the game justice.**

**Enjoy!**

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_**Welcome to the world of MOTHER 3. These are the Nowhere Islands. This is Tazmily Village. Above this Tazmily Village is the Sunshine Forest. Above that Sunshine Forest is the home of Alec, Hinawa's father.**_

A small, snoring lump with blonde hair lay in the bed on the second floor. Chest slowly moving up and down, the little boy was sound asleep, dreaming of tasty omlettes and bright, sunny skies. Turning in his sleep, his arm slipped out of the bottom of the covers

_***KNOCK!* *KNOCK KNOCK!***_

"Lucas! How long are you gonna sleep?" A loud voice shook the room. "Get up so we can play! Get up, already!". It stopped for a moment before it continiued, "The Dragos brought their babies over! They're really cute!" The voice giggled at the thought of them. "Hurry up!" It finished, sounding hyper and energetic. While the owner of the voice stomped loudly- more so than necissary- down the stairs, the blonde boy, aparently named Lucas, groaned into his soft, white pillow.

_Why can't you let me sleep, Claus?,_ Lucas thought irritatedly to himself. _Of course, they ARE Dragos, so I can understand why you'd be excited..._ Nearly falling out of bed, the boy rubbed his eyes sleepily before proceeding to trudge down the stairs. A woman clothed in a pretty red dress was sitting at a big, brown table near the front door. "Good morning, Mr. Sleepy-head Lucas," She began amusedly. "Claus has been up for awhile, playing with the Dragos." Lucas gave a small, tired nod of recognition before attempting to exit the house.

"Are you planning to play in your pajamas?" The woman gave Lucas a disapproving look. "Scoot upstairs and change your clothes." Lucas sighed inwardly. He _knew_ that she was going to say that, why hadn't he changed while he was still upstairs? Giving an obedient nod, Lucas dragged his feet as he headed up the stairs once again.

In a flash he was dressed. His normal yellow and crimson shirt and matching Converse, comfortable denim shorts, and a quick comb through his thick, blonde hair (which stuck up on the top of his head, he liked it that way) and he was ready to go, albeit still not fully awake. Walking downstairs a little more slowly than he intended, he was finally out of the house and into the outdoors.

The first step you took outside was always refreshing and nice, almost like the feeling you have after you take a nice shower. The crisp, clean air and the deep blue sky immideately woke Lucas up.

"Oh, you're up, sleepyhead." An old man with a white beard, brown hat and glasses smiled down at him. "Well, today's the day you head back home. I'm gonna miss you guys." He affectionately ruffled Lucas' hair a bit. Lucas half-forced a smile. He didn't really like it when people touched his hair, but he didn't mind so much right now, only because he would miss his grandfather too. Lucas hugged Alec, who looked suprised for a moment, but hugged him tightly back. Neither of them said anything for a moment, each wanting to remember that special moment, just the two of them. After a couple of minutes, Alec pulled away. "Your brother's over that-a way," He pointed east. Lucas nodded with a smile and set off, walking briskly in the direction his grandfather had pointed him in.

When he first caught sight of his brother, he was walking backwards. Lucas laughed inwardly; His brother did some funny things sometimes. Then he noticed the three Drago to his left. Two were huge and green, one a darker green than the other. This Drago was standing up straight, apparently waiting for something, while the other was lying down. The third Drago ws tiny compard to the others, but it was still as big as Lucas, maybe a bit bigger. It was running around the lighter green Drago excitedly. Looking back at his brother, Lucas noticed that Claus was positioned near the ground, like a runner right before the race started, right in front of the big, green Drago. Both the Drago and Claus' faces were dead serious.

Then, three things happened at once.

Lowering his head sightly, Claus smirked and ran straight for the Drago.

The Drago puffed it's chest out, obviously not planning to go easy on the boy.

Eyes widening, Lucas put a hand over his mouth in shock.

_***THUD***_

For a moment, everything was still. Then, the Drago fell over on it's side with an even louder *THUD*, Claus giggled, and Lucas sighed in realization. _Of course_, He thought, _they're only play-fighting._

Claus turned around as Lucas walked toward him. He waved at his younger twin. "Whew, I'm beat." he huffed and gasped softly. "I've been play-fighting with the Dragos all morning. You should play too, Lucas!" He suggested, moving aside so that Lucas and the Drago were face-to-face. "Here try ramming into him, like I just did." He instructed, pointing at the Drago as if Lucas couldn't tell where it was.

"Claus!" A gruff, old voice called out, "Lucas still doesn't know how to ram into things yet!" Both boys turned to see Alec walking up to them, with the tiniest hint of a smile forming on his lips. He stopped beside Lucas. "Lucas! It's really very easy. Just try to get a lot of energy stored in your legs by couching down, like this," Alec demonstrated an accurate crouch, which Lucas noted. "Then, just hold you position for a second, and go go go! Doing this'll let you dash into things." He nodded, concluding the mini-lecture. "Try it out by ramming into this Drago here." At the mention of it, the Drago puffed it's chest out slightly in recognition. Lucas grumbled under his breath. He didn't really feel like trying to ram into something 10 times his size. But Alec wasn't letting him go that easily.

"You'll never succed with such a sullen look on your face." Alec reprimanded. "That holds true for anything. Just try it!" he gave his youngest grandson a pat on the back. Lucas sighed to himself, seeing that there was no way out of this. Crouching, he 'gathered his energy' for a moment, then charged head-on into the Drago.

Lucas felt himself press against the Drago for a second, then bounce right off the next. The breath knocked out of him, he watched, half amused, half suprised, as the Drago fell onto it's side, much like it had when Claus had rammed into it. He felt kind of... good, for doing something that required energy and courage, albeit not much. "That was great, Lucas!" Both Alec and Claus cheered at Lucas as he turned to them. Before he had a chance to thank them, they all heard a voice.

"Move it! Outta the way! Make way for the great Mole Cricket!"

As they all turned to see who could've been talking, they were suprised to see that it was, well, a Mole cricket.

The baby Drago suddenly ran behind the dark green one, growling and acting a bit scared. The father Drago gave out a low growl, warning the creature not to come any closer. The mole cricket merely turned toward the three males standing nearby. "I can't just sit idly by when I hear someone's play-fighting. I'm going to wipe the floor with all of you! Get in my way and you're in for a world of pain!" the cricket screeched before in attacked the twins, who were caught off guard.

Needless to say, it wasn't all that hard of a fight. Lucas and Claus stood by for a moment, wondering if the tiny insect was for real. The mole cricket took this oppurtunity to bite Lucas, who cried out, more from shock than anything. Claus gave Lucas a serious look and nodded before going at it with the mole cricket. Lucas nodded back. Now, they meant business. Stepping and flicking, the two proceeded to kick the crap out of their small enemy. The cricket did his best to fight back, but in vain. The battle was over almost as fast as it had started.

"I see you have more of a spine than I thought." The cricket stated as Claus and Lucas high-fived each other. "If you'd like, I could train you personally sometime. Next time we meet, it'll be at the big Mole Cricket Hole Stadium! I look forward to seeing you there." It said nonchalantly, almost as if it had forgotten that it had it's ass handed to it not a few moments ago. It then scurried off. Lucas looked at Claus questioningly. Claus just shrugged it off, mumbling a "dunno". Then, as they heard footsteps, they turned around.

The woman in the red dress, who had told Lucas to get dressed a little while ago, was strolling towards them. She stopped in front of them and looked back worriedly. "I stepped on a mole cricket. I hope it's alright..." She mused with a frown. Turning back to the three she had come to see, she said, "Lunch is ready, everyone. I made your favorite, boys. Omlettes!"

At the mention of omlettes, all three of the males lit up. "Ooh! Lunch, lunch! Omlettes!" Claus called out excitedly, both he and Lucas running toward their grandfather's home faster than you could say "Hungry twins". The woman smiled. Turning, she adressed Alec. "You too, Dad." She said as she made her way back to the cabin as well. Alec nodded.

Turning, he waved to the Drago family happily. "Good-bye. Thank you for letting my grandchildren play with you today. They had a wonderful time, especially Claus." The dark green father Drago, who appeared to be smiling, nodded. Alec smiled too, before running off in the direction everyone else had, shouting, "Hey, wait for me! You saved some omlettes for me too, I hope?"

Back at Alec's home, the quaint little family had just begun lunch.

"What's your favorite food, Mom?" Claus asked the woman who had just sat down at the table, with a letter in her hands. She mumbled something in response. "Oh? Omlettes? Then your favorite is the same as ours? We make a good match!" He laughed. The woman just smiled. "After we're done eating, we need to get ready to go have to go through the forest to get back, so we'll need to leave early." She told her boys, who were almost finished eating. Alec, who was cleaning up, snorted. "Don't be silly," he chuckled, "I bet the kids could make it here alone, it's that safe." he turned toward his youngest grandson. "I bet even you could handle it, Lucas!" He laughed. Lucas' face fell at this comment. The woman just sighed and got out of her chair, reminding her children to hurry and exiting the house.

Once outside, she began to read over her letter one last time:

_Dear Flint,_

_Just like you said they would, the children have been running around the mountains and fields tirelessly since the moment we arrived._

_Claus is as daring and full of energy as ever, while Lucas is still a bit coddled. But neither seems tired of playing at all._

_My father seems sad to say goodbye to his grandchildren after seeing them for the first time in so long, but we should be home by this evening._

_I had forgotten how nice and refreshing the mountain air is. You're always covered in the smell of sheep back in Tazmily, so I really wish you could have been here to take in this air._

_The next time we visit, let's ask one of the neighbors to tend to the sheep so we can all come up here as a family._

_Claus, Lucas, and I were always thinking about you. When we get home this evening, I'll start cooking some of your favorite omlettes right away._

_With love,_

_Your Dearest Hinawa._

She deemed it acceptable as she attached it to the leg of a carrier pigeon. Closing her eyes, she stopped to think for a moment. Throwing her arms up, she let the pigeon fly in the direction of Tazmily Village, where she usually resided. Re-opening her eyes, she smiled to herself, thinking of the man who would be waiting for them when they go back this evening. Turning to go back inside, she heard a strange noise coming from overhead. From the porch, she could see a huge shadow making it's way swiftly across the ground, not too far away from the house. Puzzled, she decided that it was nothing more than a large bird. A very large bird that made strange noises. Putting it to the back of her mind, she re-entered the house.

But little did Hinawa know, this was just the beginning.

The beginning of what, you ask?

...The beginning of everything.

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**A/N: Yup. The prolouge. I know, I know, the whole 'beginning of everything' line is too overused, but it fits here, y'know? Anyway, I'm having a lot of fun with this so far. Please R&R, please please PLEASE. I need critique so I can improve my writing and just to know that someone is reading this. Any suggestions are gladly appreciated, and flames are accepted too... for now :P ~Ari**


	2. Chapter 2: Fire

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. None of it. All credit to Shigesato Itoi/APE/Brownie Brown/HAL/Nintendo/Whoever the credit goes to.**

**A/N: Thanks to **_**Thought Cloud **_**for his/her review! First review ever, beilive it or not. I'm glad you like it! C:**

**And now, onto the story!  


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_CHAPTER2: Fire_

The Sunshine Forest was aflame.

Huge, billowing plumes of smoke rose from the pillars of red and orange heat that the fire was. All that could be heard was the ferocious roar of the flames and the terrified cries of the native animals as they tried desprately to escape the firey prison.

In a wood cabin nearby, a man stepped out. He wore a red bandana and carried a large bundle of lumber around with him. This man's name was Lighter. He quickly whirled around, taking in the scene in front of him. What he saw displeased him. The door behind him opened, and a child, who had dark brown hair and went by the name of Fuel, looked worriedly at Lighter, who just shook his head and closed the door once more. Hearing the quiet, suprised gasp his son made, he just took a deep breath and took to the south, weary of the fire that surrounded him on nearly all sides. Running as fast as he could, he dissapeared behind the firey orange wall of destruction.

Nearby in Tazmily Village, things weren't much better. The town was in utter shock at the news that the Sunshine Forest had caught fire. How could something like this happen?

A somewhat bulky man in a red shirt and white hat was sprinting south as fast as his legs could carry him. The townsfolk nearby couldn't help but follow suit, running around to try and spread word about the danger that lay to the north. _Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, _thought the man as he ran past the frantic village and neared the ocean, _I really hope he's home, we need his help! Oh, dear!!_. He scurried up to the nice, cozy cabin that overlooked the ocean, complete with an occupied dog house, and knocked as loud as he could manage.

_***KNOCK* *KNOCK KNOCK***_

The man who sat patiently at the table inside the cabin looked up suprise at the sudden noise. "Flint! Flint, Flint!!!!! It's a fire, a fire, a fire! The Sunshine Forest is on a huge, firey, flamey fire!" The voice cried from the outside, knocking even louder. "You gotta do something quick, Flint! The forest is on fire!!!" Flint just adjusted his hat before strutting to the door and answering it.

"Geez!" Thomas sighed as he tried the doorknob. It wouldn't budge. "Who would lock their door in a village as peaceful as ours? Flint!!" Thomas started to yell again. Pulling on the doorknob as hard as he could, he tried to force the door open. It didn't work, but he did manage to fall over, pulling the doorknob off the door in the process. "Ah! The doorknob..." Thomas mused on the ground, staring at it thoughtfully. "Why'd you have to come off at a time like this?!" He frowned at it angrily. Just then, the door opened, and Fliint stood above Thomas, looking down at him with an unamused expression.

This startled Thomas. He jumped up, so fast that he let the doorknob fly out of his hands and hit the dog house nearby, making the occupant, a small, brown dog named Boney, cry out in shock. Thomas sweatdropped. "Aah! Doorknob! ..I mean, Flint! This is no time to be dozing off! There's a huge fire in the Sunshine Forest!" He pointed north with his index finger. "Bad times like this call for reckless nice guys like you! Please come, Flint! Please!"

Flint put a reassuring hand on Thomas' back. "Of course." he said in a low, gruff voice. Thomas gave a sigh of relief. Walking behind him, he said, "Good. Thanks, Flint. I'll follow behind you. What? What's so wrong with that?" Thomas complained as Flint gave him a strange look. "I happen to like following behind people." Flint just shrugged and headed toward the village with his frantic friend in tow.

In the village, things had gotten tense. Flint and Thomas didn't stay long enought to chat, but they picked up bits and pieces of conversation on the way.

"The whole sky to the north is pitch black!"

"Oh dear, this isn't good, not at all!"

"What'll we do?! There's gotta be something we can do!"

This made Flint nervous, so he quickened his pace. Thomas had grabbed a map from the map-owning and map-loving Mapson, so they both studied it for a moment. "There," Thomas pointed, to a spot north of the village, "That's where it's worst. We need to make sure Lighter and Fuel are safe!" he said anxiously. Flint nodded with a grunt to signify he had heard, and they both set out with a quick, steady pace toward the spot that they had decided upon.

On their way to the forest, they passed by the Prayer Sanctuary, run by Jonel. Thinking it best to stop by, Thomas had coaxed Flint into coming in and praying as well. Jonel greeted them happily. "Why, hello, Flint. I think it's best that you offer a prayer here before going into the forest." Flint nodded and knelt near the altar. He felt a stange sensation in his stomach as he did so.

"Answer with a calm mind." A voice inside his head asked. "Please tell me your name. Yes, the name of the person who watches over you," It continued. This confused Flint. The name of the person watching over them? What was this voice talking about? Suddenly, he heard someone, or something, answer for him. "Sam," it said, confusing Flint even more. "Of course..." The first voice continiued. "When I count to 3, you will forget I ever asked this question. 3... 2... 1..." A bright flash. Flint opened his eyes and found himself back at the Prayer Sanctuary. Standing up, he turned and nodded to Jonel, who nodded back. Flint motioned for Thomas to follow, and both men left, their spirits feeling lighter than before.

As they entered the forest, Flint noticed that some of the animals were attacking. The bats, the snakes, and the... yams, which weren't actually animals, as far as Flint knew, but they were still attacking. This was strange, the animals were usually peaceful. Both FLint and Thomas agreed that this was probably because the fire had startled them and they weren't in a very good mood. They stumbled upon a hot spring making their way up, and took a quick break before continuing the trek through the firey woods.

A little farther up the path, the flames were getting thicker and harder to get past. Flint had just gotten past these when he noticed something in front of him. Edging closer, he made it out to be a man in a pig costume, complete with an alarming mask. The 'Pigmask' glanced around for a moment, then placed a box on the ground. When he opened it, strange looking bugs began to fly around in the air, spreading out into all parts of the forest. Looking satisfied with it's work, the Pigmask made it's way through a literal wall of flames to their left. Flint debated with himself on whether or not to follow it, but in the end, Lighter and Fuel were higher on his list of priorities. He made his way farther north, to where Lighter and Fuel's shack shold be.

Making their way up, they stumbled across someone laying on the ground. Upon closer inspection, they realized with a jolt that it was Lighter! Hurrying over, Thomas shook the bigger man nervously. "Lighter! Hey, Lighter! You alright?" he tried, shaking him a little harder. Lighter came to. "Ah, Flint. Oh, and Thomas... D-damnit... *cough*" He started weakly, coughing loudly. "I tried to beat those things up, but more just kept comin'! I can't get past 'em!" he managed to get out before he went into a coughing fit. Thomas just looked at the thing that was squashed on the ground next to them worriedly. "What IS that thing, a bug?" he questioned, looking at it increduously.

Lighter just coughed some more. "*cough cough* Dunno. They're going aroung the forest, lightin' fires. But nevermind that, Fuel's still at home!" he cried out the last part, obviously worried. Thomas gasped. "What?! Fuel's still in your shack? Flint!" Thomas turned to him, "You go help Fuel! I'll look after Lighter." Flint nodded and hurried off into the forest, more anxious than ever. But he didn't get far before he was attacked by the Fireflies. Although it wasn't a hard fight, he wasn't in very good shape after the battle was over. The fireflies had given him their all, and he didn't have much energy left. He went back to the hot spring before continuing, praying that Fuel was okay.

He reached the shack sooner than he had excpected, but that was fine with him. What he didn't like was that the shack was on fire. He was about to look for him outside of the shack when he heard, "Help!!" from one of the windows. Slowly, unwillingly, Flint looked up to see Fuel struggling in the window on the second floor of the house. Grunting determinedly, he barged his way into the cabin, bent on helping Fuel.

Upon entering the house, he was attacked by a Flying Mouse. At first, Flint was so shocked that he didn't know what to do. But after a minute, he subsequently kicked the hell out of it, taking little damage at all. Flinging it to the side, Flint ran upstairs. Fuel was on the other side of the room, and there was debris barring the path. Crouching, Flint dashed into and broke through it, and after grabbing Fuel and hauling him onto his back, he sprinted out of the cabin as fast as he damn well could.

"Ahh! I'm pitch black and covered in soot, but I'm alive!" Fuel said breathlessly as they watched Lighter's cabin burn to the ground. "Oh, you're pitch black too, Mr. Flint. Thank you, Mr. Pitch Black Flint! Thank you so so so much, Mr. Pitch Black Flint!" Fuel cheered enthusiastically for his hero, who just looked away and nodded. "Oh, yeah! We need to let my dad know I'm alright. He's probably worried sick!" he mused. Flint nodded and headed in the direction that Lighter and Thomas were, with Fuel following suit.

They actually made their way back to the Prayer Sanctuary, where Lighter was being tended to by numerous people. "Daad!" Fuel called out when he spotted him, and ran towards him. 'T-that voice... Is that you, Fuel?" Lighter said weakly in response. "What the.. what happened to you? You're pitch black and covered in soot!" he worried. "What about you, Dad? You busted your leg!" Fuel retorted. Lighter sighed. "What, this? This ain't nothin'! All I gotta do is twist this like so, then do this, and then..." His leg made an unpleasant crunch. "Oww oww oww! Damn it!" he sighed.

Thomas piped in, "Anyway, we sure are lucky that Flint came when he did." Everyone nodded. Flint had moved closer, and Lighter hesitated for a moment before saying, "...Thanks, Flint. Guess I showed my not-so-tough side, huh? I owe you one for today." He ended solemnly. A man nearby named Lou almost gasped. "That may be the first time I've ever heard the Boss thank anyone before." Another man with brown hair and overalls, whos name was Bronson, laughed. "Hahah, I think you're right! The only thing that could make this any stranger is if it suddenly started pouring rain..."

Guess what happens next?

It started to rain.

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**A/N: Yes, it did rain. Bronson must be a meteorolegist or somethin'. The rain just seemed like a perfect ending for the chapter, so I decided I would end it there. Sorry, it seems kinda short. Anyway, R&R please! Any comments and corrections are welcomed! Flames too C: ~Ari**


	3. Chapter 3: Chilling

**A/N: Sorry that this one took so long for me to update. School work and softball... they get to you. Anyway, here's Chapter 3. And by the way, thanks for the favorites and reviews! Enjoy the chapter now.**

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_**Chapter 3: Chilling**_

"..And now it's started to rain."

Looking up, Ed, the plain-looking man next to them, was talking to himself moreso than anyone else. They all looked at Bronson, up at the sky, and then at each other. They could tell that everyone was thinking the same thing; you could easily read all of their faces.

_How strange._

"Let's just hope the rain puts out the fire." Thomas said worriedly. They all nodded in agreement. Ed spoke up again. "We need to tend to Lighter. Let's all head back to the village for now." Mumbling agreements in unison, Bud and Lou, two men who worked under Lighter, heaved him up onto their shoulders and led the way back to Tazmily. Everyone followed, with Thomas and Flint bringing up the rear.

--

Once back in the village, the group promptly made their way to the Yado Inn, where Lighter could be treated. Climbing up the stairs was their biggest hazard; Bud tripped on the way up, nearly dropping Lighter and straining one of his injuries. Lighter winced but said nothing. Bud felt a pang of guilt and tried to go faster but more carefully. Eventually they made it up to the room they were in now, with Tessie having just finished patching Flint's few injuries up.

"There you are, Flint," she said softly, stepping back to admire her handiwork. Flint had a scrape on his chin, a small rip on his vest and a wrapped wrist, but he could have looke a lot worse. "All patched up." She made her way to a cabinet to put the first-aid supplies away. "It's a good thing you and Fuel only suffered minor injuries.," Thomas noted as he stood by Lighter, who was heavily bandaged but appeared to be fine for the moment. Everyone in the room, namely Tessie, Flint, Thomas, Lighter, Fuel and Ed, all nodded in unison. Tessie glanced out the window. "It's been awhile since Tazmily last had rain." She mused before turing back to Flint. "Flint. Please get some nice rest." she insisted. Flint only nodded before making his way to the door. "Thanks again, Mr. Flint!" Fuel called as he opened the door. Flint looked back. Fuel waved and Lighter just nodded weakly. Flint just adjusted his has before walking out of the room, and furthermore, out of the Inn.

He had barely closed the Inn's main door before he was assulted with another voice. "Flint!" He turned. A man dressed like a lumberjack with a brown hat and glasses appeared as if from nowhere. He looked relieved to have found Flint. "Issac," Flint spoke, acknowledging his presence. "Perfect timing! I'd heard you were taking a rest here." He looked up before continiuing. "...Mighty heavy rain, isn't it? Think I'll join you under the awning." He noted before moving closer to Flint, under the protection of the awning. Both men were silent for a moment, before Issac continiued. "Flint, tell me..." He started hesitantly, almost as if he regretted coming up to the man. "...Have you seen Hinawa and the kids?" he asked, concerned. This took Flint aback. "..No, not since they left a couple of days ago." He stated bluntly. Issac looked away. "...I see." He turned to face Flint again. "Actually, I was picking mushrooms in the mountains earlier. While I was up there, I saw Hinawa for a moment. Then, when I was taking a break by the river, I heard loud roars in the distance." he looked down here, staring at his feet. "Sounded like a Drago roar... After that, I heard.... What I think... Might've been screams..." He pushed on, becoming more and more hesitant with every second that passed. He looked back up into Flint's eyes, which flickered with realization. "Say, Flint. Hinawa and the kids made it home, right?"

Flint just turned in the direction of his home. No, he hadn't seen them, at least not yet. But that didn't mean that they weren't there. Right? He suddenly broke into a run, heading straight home. No time like the present to find out.

--

Once he came close to the house, he could almost feel that they weren't there, and his heart practically fell out of his chest. He passed Boney's house, the occupant of which was still asleep, like nothing had happened. There weren't any lights on, no warm, welcoming smells of omlettes and oatmeal rasin cookies* to greet him, nothing. The only thing that he could see immediately wrong with this picture was the blue dove resting on the doorstep. Spotting a letter attached to it's leg, he unattached it and began to read it. His eyes widened as he recognized the handwriting at once.

_Dear Flint, _

_Just like you said they would, the children have been running around the mountains and fields tirelessly since the moment we arrived._

_Claus is as daring and full of energy as ever, while Lucas is still a bit coddled. But neither seems tired of playing at all._

_My father seems sad to say goodbye to his grandchildren after seeing them for the first time in so long, but we should be home by this evening._

_I had forgotten how nice and refreshing the mountain air is. You're always covered in the smell of sheep back in Tazmily, so I really wish you could have been here to take in this air._

_The next time we visit, let's ask one of the neighbors to tend to the sheep so we can all come up here as a family._

_Claus, Lucas, and I were always thinking about you. When we get home this evening, I'll start cooking some of your favorite omlettes right away._

_With love, _

_Your Dearest Hinawa._

He found himself inside when he had finished reading the letter for the 5th time, making sure that it said 'this evening' and not 'tomorrow evening'. He heard heavy, hurried footsteps that he immidiately recognized as Issac's. And sure enough, there came the man mentioned, followed by an anxious-looking Fuel. "Oh..." Issac mused, "They still aren't back? With all this rain, they could catch a cold." "I'll go find them!" Fuel burst out, desperately trying to soften the tense air that surrounded them. Issac just chuckled a bit, devoid of merriment. "They're probably taking shelter from the rain somwhere. It's getting late, so we should all go look for them. Let's get some of the other villagers to help too." Issac came up with the most sensible plan he could. Nodding to Flint, he made his way back out of the house.

Fuel turned to the man. "Okay, I'll go tell my dad then." He said solemnly before following Issac's footsteps. Flint remained there for a moment, lost in what to do. Should he stay, just in case they made it back to the house, or go search with the rest of the villagers? he let out a long, heavy sigh. Looks like searching was the only option.

Walking outside, he noticed Boney come out of his dog house and run up to him, tail wagging, but not in a playful kind of way. "Woof! Woof woof! (Please take me with you. I'm sure I'll be helpful." He pleaded with his eyes more than anything. Flint nodded vigorously, more than happy to have some company on the stormy, uncertain night. With Boney following behind him, Flint headed in the direction of the Sunshine Forest.

--

On the way there, he came up to the Prayer Sanctuary, where he saw Wess and Jonel standing outside talking to each other. Jonel looked slightly amused while Wess looked reproachful.

When Jonel caught sight of Flint, we waved. "Oh, there you are, Flint. I asked everyone to split up and search the forset for Hinawa." He informed him. Flint nodded gratefully. Then, Jonel looked away and muttered, "You've been blessed with true friends. That must be true happiness, in one sense." He then took off into the forest. Wess then turned to Flint. "I'd like to join the search, but they told me to stay here because I'm old. Seems nobody's aware of how strong I really am." He huffed, obviously angry. Flint felt kind of sorry for him. Everyone seemed to underestimate Wess and his son, Duster. Feeling kind of akward, Flint mumbled a goodbye and headed into the forest.

--

The going was pretty easy. There were tons of monsters, but none of them were a match for Flint's stregnth and Boney's speed. They zoomed through the battles, swinging and biting and overall kicking the asses of Mighty Bitey Snakes and Mr. Batties alike. Flint was poisoned by one of them, but luckily, he had an Antidote on hand so he quickly used it. He silently thanked Nan for giving it to him not even a while ago.

They came up on the path that was used to get to Alec's house. Jackie, Tessie, Bronson and Beautau were all there. Bronson noticed them coming and motioned to the huge blockade that stood in their way; a couple of trees had been knocked down, convieniently blocking the path. "I can't belive my eyes... Just look at this, Flint... These huge trees were snapped right in two." He said, his words covered in disbelief. "How could such big trees get knocked over like this?" Bateau asked no one in particular. "There's one thing for sure. Whatever did this wasnt human. And no, it wasn't me!" he finished. Bronson just shook his head. "What do we do now? They have the path completely blocked... " "Actually, Hinawa and the kids might still be stuck out there, because of all these knocked down trees blocking the way." Jackie pointed out. They all looked down. "We should look for another way around..." Bronson said. "It's probably best if we split into a few groups." Beteau suggested. They all agreed, and a couple of groups wandered off.

Flint was about to head off too, when he heard a familiar voice. "Flint!!" Issac yelled. Flint and Bronson looked around to see Issac, Lighter, and Fuel arrive on the scene. "Have you found Hinawa and the kids?!" Lighter asked, concern clear in his voice. "Lighter?" Bronson asked. "Are you sure you're okay enough to be out here?" "I'm always in good enough shape. Don't treat me like an injured clod." Lighter said hurriedly. He and Issac walked up to the pile of broken tree parts and started to push them out of the way. "You go on ahead, Flint." Lighter grunted. "We'll handle things here." Flint nodded, gratefully, before motioning for Boney to follow him deeper into the woods.

--

Not too much farther ahead, underneath the cliff face, they ran into Jonel again. His face was grim. "It's just a guess, but I'd say a Drago climbed up from here." He looked up, and FLint followed his eyes to some huge gashes in the cliff face. They did indeed look like Drago claw marks.

"But why would a Drago do something like this? They're such peaceful creatures..." Jonel mused, clearly disturbed by this. "I get the feeling that something bad is happening to the forest, the people, the animals, and me..." Flint couldn't agree more with the words that Jonel had just muttered. He was getting bad feelings too. Just then, Boney ran to the cliffside and vainly tried to climb up it, barking like mad and looking up the whole time. It looked as if he was reaching for something. Flint and Jonel looked confused for a moment. Boney gave up and walked back to Flint sullenly. he sat down and howled upward, in a certain direction. Then, Bateau's eyes widened. "L-look! Up there, hanging on that branch over there... There's a bit of red!" All three of them looked up in unison. Flint's eyes widened at what he saw.

Up on the cliff, on the branch of a dead tree, there was a torn scrap of what appeared to be part of Hinawa's dress.

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**A/N: Cliffhanger, yey. Still too short. But, it was the perfect place to stop. :D Anyway, Read & Review, my friends, they motivate me and make updates come faster. Flames are also accepted... though I haven't gotten any yet, so that's good. C: ~Ari**


	4. Chapter 4: Devistation

_**A/N: I don't have any excuses on why this is so late. I'm just bad at getting motivated, I suppose. Anyway, enough of this, let the chapter begin.**_

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_CHAPTER 4: DEVISTATION_

Flint stared for a minute or two, unable to fathom the event that he was picturing in his mind. Wess grunted, not really grasping what it meant. "Damn littering people- don't they know how to throw away their trash?" He frowned and turned away. Flint just stared at him. After a few minutes, Wess began to realize what it meant. "Ah…" He turned back toward the Cliffside, slightly embarrassed. "I suppose we need to get up there, eh? No way anyone could climb a cliff that steep, though…" He frowned in thought, concentrating. He turned toward Boney, who whimpered in response.

Wess then turned back to Flint with an idea: "Hey, Flint. I have an idea, but I'll need to borrow Boney for a moment." Flint nodded his approval, stepping back and leaving Boney between the two. Boney cocked his head to one side, unsure of what exactly was going on. Wess pulled a sock and handkerchief out of his vest pocket and tied the handkerchief to Boney's neck. "Here, Boney, I need you to go and get my son. When he sees this cloth, he'll know what's going on." He held the sock out to Boney's nose, urging him to get a good whiff of it. "I know it's a little ripe-smelling, but this is the only thing I've got." Boney sniffed a few times and whimpered. "Arf… Arf arf. (Yes, that is pretty ripe…)" Sniffing the ground rapidly, Boney gave a loud bark before running into the general direction of the village. Wess turned to Flint, who was staring up the cliffside again. "Now all we can do is wait."

oOoOo

Boney raced through the village, barking madly. People he passed had to jump out of the way, and bystanders were confused and whispering amongst themselves. But Boney didn't have time to care. He was on a very important mission, and he would not fail!

Taking the corner at a blinding speed, he stopped just in time to avoid smashing into the door of Wess' house. Using his paws very carefully, he turned the knob and pushed the door open and scrambled inside, looking around wildly for Wess' son, Duster. Not seeing him, he discovered a flight of stairs and decided to check up them. Slowing down just enough to avoid tripping over the stairs, Boney bolted up.

Boney landed on the second floor, struggling to stop the rug he'd run onto from sliding. Jumping off, he spotted Duster laying on a bed nearby, snoring loudly. Boney barked at the sleeping form on the bed, but he didn't even flinch or move at the sound. Puzzled, Boney barked louder. Still, Duster did not wake. Boney barked and barked, but time and time again Duster snored right through it. Throuroughly tired of it, Boney gave up and tugged Duster off the bed by his pants, his head hitting the floor loudly. His eyes flew open, and he staggered to his feet.

"Ouch! Wha… Hey, what's a dog doing here?" Duster rubbed his head, puzzled. "Am I dreaming?" He asked Boney, as if expecting an answer. Boney just barked and leaned his neck toward him, the cloth shining in the light. Duster's face lit up with realization. "Oh, I see! Well then, lead the way, dog." Boney gave an irritated "Rrrr-Arf. (My name isn't dog, nitwit. It's Boney.)" before bolting down the stairs, leaving Duster to run after him in his wake.

oOoOo

Wess stared up at the sky, watching the stars shine in the vast darkness. "Where in the world is keeping those two…?" He wondered outloud. Not three seconds later, hasty steps could be heard, followed by the appearance of a tall man with a blue shirt limping as fast as he could toward them and a small brown dog leading the way. Once the two made it to where Wess and Flint were standing, they skidded to a stop, Duster breathing heavily.

Wess observed him for a moment, then smacked him on the head. "Took you long enough, moron. What were you doing, sleeping?" he scolded. Duster flinched and took a step back, rubbing his head. "Well, yes, but that's not the point. What is it that you needed me for?" Duster looked around Wess and saw Flint standing behind him. "Oh, hello, Flint." He said politely, getting a slight nod from Flint as a response. Wess just sighed.

"Sleeping, huh? Figures. Anyway, I need you to do what we've trained for just about your whole life." He looked at his son seriously. "Flint here needs to get up this here cliff, and you're going to help him." He stated. Both men looked up the cliff. Duster gulped, but nodded. "Right, I can do this." Fumbling around in his pockets, he found what he was looking for; his wall staples. "I'll use all the techniques you've shown me, Wess." Duster said before unleashing his wall staples into the cliff. One after another, he stuck them onto the cliff face at a rapid pace, with Wess, Flint, and Boney's stares burning his back.

Once he was safely atop the cliff, he called down to Flint. "Alright, here you go!" he shouted, gesturing to him to come up. Flint nodded and started climbing, while Boney followed him, showing tremendous paw skill. The pair reached the top of the cliff face in a matter of a few minutes. Flint stood up straight and grabbed the red cloth from the forlorn tree's grasp. He stared at it blankly for a few moments. And during these few moments, it stopped raining. Then without hesitation, he turned and headed forward. Duster held him back by the shoulder. "Flint?" The man didn't respond. Duster frowned. "Listen, Flint, I'd like to come along. Who knows, maybe this slightly handicapped man'll come in useful. You never know…" he trailed off, watching Flint's expression remain blank. For a few moments, all was still. Then Flint gave a small nod of acceptance and resumed his walk forward. Duster was taken aback a bit, but nevertheless followed diligently. Boney trotted after them.

Only a few paces away from where they'd started, they stopped to look at the spectacle in front of them. Two people in pink suits and pig masks were messing about with some kind of machine connected to what seemed to be a half-metal animal. "What are those things? Are they even human?" Duster quietly assessed the situation. Flint just shrugged and continued forward, stopping just behind one of the strange people. The other one gave a high-pitched squeal, pointing at Flint in alarm, and the second one turned and nearly jumped out of surprise. The two ran behind the machine, one of them dropping something. Then one of them ran to the machine and hit some buttons, causing the machine to electrocute the attached animal relentlessly. Flint, Duster and Boney were shocked at the brutality of the men, and were even more so when the giant animal, turning out to be a Caribou, attacked them.

Boney opened up with a few hits on it, getting them a small amount of damage. Duster whipped out his wall staples and pinned the caribou down while Flint wailed on it for more damage. They continued like this until the caribou broke free and went berserk on them, causing substantial damage to all of them. Flint, Boney and Duster each got another hit on it before the caribou viciously stabbed Duster with it's hoof, knocking him over and giving him a deep gash adorned with blood on his left shoulder. Duster hissed in pain, but continued attacking anyway, and after Flint hit him with one final blow, the caribou spazzed for a minute before lowering it's body, defeated. They all felt sorry for the poor thing, but enraged at the strange men who had done this, who were watching them intently.

When the trio advanced on them, they squealed and hurried off away from them. Without hesitation, Flint, Boney and Duster raced after them, intending to give them a few choice words and gestures. When they caught up, however, all they saw was a giant silver machine flying away from them. They all gazed up at it in disbelief for a few moments. Then, wordlessly, Flint continued on to look for a way ahead, only to discover that the natural bridge the cliff had made was crumbled and useless. Flint stared at it blankly and Duster and Boney caught up with him. Duster sighed. "Looks like it's a no-go. We should probably head back." He said before starting toward the direction they'd come from, and Flint had no choice but to follow.

oOoOo

Once back at the base of the cliff, the trio caught sight of Thomas. "Oh, hey guys! Glad to see you're okay." He greeted lightly. "The trees have been cleared, so everyone has gone up ahead." He informed dutifully. Flint nodded and wasted no time in backtracking to where the trees once were, Duster and Boney at his heels. Before he reached it, however, he was stopped by Jonel, who looked eager to share his news. "Flint!" he called, panting as he came up to them. "We found the kids!" he exclaimed, and Flint felt the sweet rush of relief come over him. "It seems they fell into the river and ended up here." He said, smiling at Flint's noticeably more tranquil aura. "I'll look after Boney, you just go and see 'em now!" he said, taking Boney, who was whining, and stood beside a tree. Flint nodded and rushed up the path, more eager than ever to see his kids' faces.

When he got to the clearing, people were crowded against two small blankets with firey orange and sunny yellow hair peeking out of each one. Noticing Flint, they all pulled away one by one, leaving only the two blankets behind. As Flint approached, they turned, revealing the frightened faces of Lucas and Claus. "Dad…" Lucas whispered, and the three came at each other, hugging tightly. Claus remained quiet while Lucas sniffled a few times. Tessie came up to them with a tray. "Flint, I made some Innit tea. You should have some, it'll warm you up." She looked around at everyone else as well. "Everyone should take a break and get warm too." She said, passing the tray around to everyone.

oOoOo

After everyone had their tea, there was idle chit chat between everyone except Flint and the twins. Flint looked at his sons and noticed they were trembling. "….darn it….darn it…" Claus whispered over and over, while Lucas whimpered, "Mom….Mom…". He watched them like this for a few minutes, not sure what to do. Then he heard a voice call his name. "Flint!" It was Bronson, emerging from the trees north of them. All the adults gathered around him, eager to hear what he had to say. "Flint…" he started, "…I'm not sure what to say…I have good news, and I have bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" he asked, then rethought it and shook his head. "No, I'll tell you the good news first. The good news is… I found a drago fang. It'll make a good weapon." He said. Flint stared at him blankly. Bronson withered under his gaze. "And the b-bad news…" Everyone gathered around him closely, "The bad news is where I found the drago fang…" he looked away, trying to find the words to convey his point. He was visibly trembling, and Flint was anxious and had an inkling of a bad feeling. He, along with everyone else, waited for Bronson to elaborate. Bronson finally just opened his mouth and blurted out his bad news.

"I-it was pierced through your wife's heart."

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_**What an ending. Reviews are always appriciated, see you guys in a few weeks. (Hopefully)**_


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